The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1887-11-04
NUMBER Al.
A STAMPEDE.

ms DAYS.
\ stampede was 4 common occurrence
in the life of every western hunter
twenty Years ago; but no one will ever
look upoa one again. The hide hunters
have not lett score Of the animals alive.
What creates a stampede Nothing
anything. While the buffalo is horn IN a
wild tate, and ought to get accustomed
t. storms. the sight Of wolves, and all
kinds of noises, he j. the most timid ami
mai on Garth. ] have seen the coming
up OF a dark cloud stampede ten thousand
buiialocs. / have known the howl oi a
wolf To set a big herd in motion. \ fash
OF lightning or clap OF thunder seemed
To scare them half To death, although YOU
would argue that they would get used 20
II. And once started nothing hut a
mountain could turn the great wave aside
and only exhaustion would bring them
back To their senses. After a herd had
fairly started. terror seemed to take COM
plctc possession of them, and II was the
devil SEIZE the last one. Then il was woe
to the pioneer or hunter who happened
TO be- in their path without grove to
shelter them.
1 saw, in 1867 on the Loup Fork Of the
Platte River, an emigrant camp which
had been run over by stampede. There
had been seven wagons and - peoplc
"Aill dlFbll bb lltsttl tl Horses anu cattle.
The rushing, terror-stricken herd struck
the camp just at daybreak and was - or
20 minutes passing. Only one human
being escaped man who was carried
oil on the back OF a buffalo, and left NJ
spot 10 miles away. Not an animal
was left, not i vehicle escaped dcStruc-
ton. ! saw the site OF the camp about
noon OF that day, and there wasn't a
piece OF any OF the heavy WAGONS which
| FnulI have -i..l ,,H L. 49,.
arm. The people had been tramped into
the Garth -annihilated-wi out The
remains could scarcely be recognized as
those OF human beings.
But rs to my own adventure. There
were four hunters Of US in the locality
spoken OF, killing various kinds of game
and doing little trapping, and though
plenty o! re !Sklns were IL that country,
they did not get on to us for week. We
had camp on small run or creek. with
grove OF about 4 dozen trees for shelter,
AMI about two miles to the north was a
spring and another grove.
The indians hadn't got hold Of Win
chcSters and knew nothing Of rrvolvcrs
III those days and war party of less
than - would have hcsitatcl to attack
four hunters. We kept our ewes opru.
however, and one was on the watch
while the other three slept We had
been IN camp nine or ten DAYS, and con-
stantly surrounded bv bunalocS. when.
one afternoon, Just before sunset. il was
apparent from the actions OF the animals
that something WAS in the wind. The
dctachmcnts were consolidating, all stray
bulls joining the herds and almost every
buffalo ceased feeding and acted anxious
" and i'll at ease.
That meant indians. Curious rs YOU
may think II, the presence OF an indian
will disturb the butialOes sooner than
that OF the white man. We couldn't say
whether 1t was a war party hanging
around TO attack Us, or a hunting party
towering on the ianks OF the great herd.
but we made all preparations that night
TO defend ourselves.
l have spoken OF the second grove. It
was composed of 4 few stunted cotton
woods, and was in no sense n shelter
Now this is what happened during the
night. \ war party OF about 50 Indians
took up their position in this little grove,
calculating to sweep down on Us at dav-
break and carry Our camp bv storm.
Along toward daylight they mounted and
rode softly down TO within quarter OF a
mile of us, and there waited for dav to
break. They would be observed by the
sentinel, but would make a rush and
carry the camp. Well, it was lust com
ing day, and five minutes more would
have discovered them to the sentinel,
when the big herd which had been
gathering to the north OF us, began a
stampede. The sentinel heard them at
the first start off, and reused us up, and
by the time We had our guns in hand We
could see the indian war party. They
knew what was up better than we did
but they were caught between two fires
and the chief was too slow-witted for the
occasion. Ills policy should have been
to charge us. He might have lost six OF
eight men, but the shelter Of the grove
would have saved the rest and given
them our scalps to boot. lie might not
have known our strength, and so, after
spending the valuable minutes in rcfiec-
ton, he ordered the party OFF to the left
The only hope they could have was in
riding across the face OF the herd, but that
was out OF the question. The front COW
cred, as we afterward knew a distance OF
seven miles, and the indians had barely
got started when the first bufialocs were
III sigh.
They came thicker than bees, their
heads down, horns rubbing, and feet
making 4 great Clatter, and while we
looked we saw the war party swallowed
up in that great heaving sea of animal
life. 4 moment later an old bull dashed
into and through the grove, and every
man sprang Tor tree. As | was climb
ing up my feet struck buffalo on the
back, and before | was secure only the
five largest trees in the grove were stand
ing. All Others had been uprooted by
contact, and three crippled animals were
lying on the ground beneath me. Our
horses, camp, everything, went in two
minutes. The noise was 10 times more
dclfening than a hurricane at sea, and the
terror OF the animals was something ap.
palling.
have told You that the front Of the
herd was seven miles across. You can
Judge what the depth must have beer
when l tell you that they were thrc,
hours in passing. Every animal wa.
running for his life, and his pace could
not have been less than 10 miles an hour
| shouldn't hesitate to make affidavit
/ that the herd was a good 30 miles deep
! The animd'S ran, as We aitcrward knew
fully 10 miles before they slowed down
I at all. When the last one had passed IL
! the country about us was a sight To be
/ hold. There were at least $50 dead O
crippled animals in sight, and there wa.
| q sYath seven miles wide, which had Gu
the very life out OF the prairie. OF al
| our camp cqUipagc we could not find on,
solitary .rticle OF wood, or iron, or lcath
cr. All our horses had been trample
under within less than a mile of tn
| grove, and their bodies were sights N
one could look at twice. We spread on
to see what fate had befallen the lndiHn:
and We did not have to go far. They ha
been knocked down and stamped Int,
the earth. 4 member OF the same trib,
with whom / talked a year later, told IN
that not one survived, and the loss ha
almost dcmoralized the tribe.